The Trick To Learning About Your Opponents Is To Eavesdrop On Humans
by Virtualistic
Summary: Fact: The one Pokemon that can potentially deal the most damage in a single move is a Shuckle. Let's see how this Shuckle can use that to his advantage.


I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Legends speak of an immensely powerful Pokémon, one that would make the most powerful creatures in their respective regions shake with fear. They say that this Pokémon's defense and offense cannot be matched, and that their territorial battles always ended in their victory. They say that these creatures could be matched with gods. The legendaries would often tell their young ones bedtime stories about this Pokémon's prowess, make them fearful for their lives, and make them restless at night. Little did they know that the subject at hand was a lot more powerful than they had even imagined.

And little did they know that the subject at hand was currently hiding in fear under a rock.

* * *

 _Man, I swear, that Crawdaunt is trouble_ , the Shuckle thought. _I mean, every time that I have to deal with a Water type, everything ends up bad._

In autumn, the Moor of Icirrus was a very beautiful and peaceful, but dangerous if you paid attention enough.

The unfortunate Mold Pokémon had been injured in a territorial quarrel. The Shuckle had spotted a very plump Sitrus berry that was floating across the pond that the Crawdaunt was residing in. He thought that as long as he didn't draw any attention, he would be able to get to the berry and retreat safely. Unfortunately, the clumsy Pokémon had snapped a twig and alerted the Crawdaunt, who then went over and began arguing with the intruder on whose territory it was (Of course, it was the Crawdaunt's who had claimed almost the entire moor as his territory). Well, it was more of a one-sided argument, with the Crawdaunt proceeding to deliver a powerful Crabhammer onto the poor Shuckle.

The force of the Crabhammer propelled him backwards into a pile of multicolored rocks near the river. The coincidental camouflage had dumbfounded the Crawdaunt, who had then retreated to his den.

Shuckle sighed with relief. He curled up from inside his shell, which was actually quite comfy. He then proceeded to heal himself by drinking his own mix of special medical Berry Juice, made with Lum, Sitrus, and ordinary Berry Juice. This magical stuff worked wonders on his body and even got rid of his fatigue.

 _Now then...what to do with that Crawdaunt?_ He thought. Well, he could just let bygones be bygones, and just search somewhere else for some food. But that berry was the final ingredient for more of his special medical Berry Juice, and he was running dry, fast. The Sitrus berry was also scarce in this area, so he had to pick up after wandering trainers who had come by this area. Their Sitrus berries weren't exactly ripe, though.

And it wasn't as if he could just travel someplace else to get more berries, right? He wasn't exactly fast.

He was still thinking it over when he heard someone's voice.

"Yeah, it was a Shuckle. I know, right? They're hardly seen in this area. No, the pictures that I have are of the other Pokémon near this area, and I'm out of film, so sorry, Professor. Catch it? No, I have one in my PC. I'll let you study it when I get back."

The Shuckle peeked up out of his shell. He glanced at the pond, relieved to see that the Crawdaunt was not present. He then looked to the speaker, who was currently standing on a small cliff that was overlooking the area.

The speaker looked like a trainer, wearing a light blue jacket, black pants, and red shoes. He also wore a partly red and white hat with a Pokeball symbol. He was speaking into a sleek black machine.

"Apparently Crawdaunt were also introduced to this area, too. I mean, I've been here a few times and this one has stuck around. How do I know? Well, you see, this one likes to play with his opponents. I've seen it many times when I went out for fishing. He never lets them faint all the way, just, you know, has them struggle. Then when he gets bored, he finishes them off. I can tell it's the same one because other Crawdaunts are not like that. See, Prof, I knew I was brilliant!"

The Shuckle then quietly retreated back into his shell. He was going to have to think on this.

* * *

The Crawdaunt was bored. The Pokémon nearby were too scared now to play with him, so they would always run when they saw him. Now his once proud opponents fled without a second thought. Even that Shuckle earlier was probably long gone by now.

 _This makes me_ , he thought to himself, _king of the lake_. He sat on a tree stump, his "throne". He would enjoy the fruits of his victory by eating this Sitrus Berry that he had found earlier. He took it out and held it up. It was juicy and ripe, perfect for this moment. _Perfect_ , he thought.

"Stop! That berry is mine!" A voice rang clear through the entire area. Various Pokémon peeked from their homes to see what the commotion was about. The Crawdaunt was surprised. It was that same Shuckle, the one that had crossed his boundary. The Crawdaunt smiled in satisfaction. This time he would make sure to finish what he had started, and then the fruit of his victory would truly taste delicious.

He licked his lips. "You're mine, Shuckle."(No insults could come to his mind at the time.)

His grandfather had always taught him that when dealing with helpless prey, you had to confuse and/or stupefy them, make them the helpless little creatures they are. For him, He had learned Double Team from watching a trained Pokémon.

He started by moving in one big circle around his opponent. He got faster, and faster, and faster, until all his opponent could make of him were his "clones". But while, he was confusing the Shuckle, he noticed that Shuckle had started to bow his head. If he had looked more carefully, he would have seen the pink aura emanating from his shell. But he didn't, so he just assumed that it was because that his opponent was now regretting his decision to challenge him.

But then the Shuckle did something that surprised him. He threw a rock. He feebly threw an ordinary rock, onto the ground. He laughed on the inside. _He's probably going insane_ , the Crawdaunt thought, _or he's just plain stupid._

But then he tripped, on the very same rock. The Crawdaunt stumbled, confused and dazed. His momentum had been lost, and he was seeing stars. The only thing that he could properly make out was the Shuckle, with his red shell and yellow appendages. Pokémon who were once silent jeered from the sidelines. He'd have to deal with them next. But then he saw that the brightly-colored creature crawling over. The Crawdaunt laughed out loud. A Shuckle attack him? No, you'd have to be plain dumb to attack if you're a Shuckle. You'd basically have next to none offenses.

The Crawdaunt fell down. He didn't care. A Shuckle attack him? Best joke in the world. He was doing belly laughs, now, waiting for him to crawl over. What's the worst he could do? Tickle torture?

But then the Shuckle raised a "hand", and the entire moor just grew silent. What was going on? He raised himself up with a claw groggily, still a bit confused.

Then the Shuckle put his "hand" on his claw.

Imagine the worst possible pain in your life. Now multiply it ten times, add in the worst possible dental surgery and take away the anesthetics. That's the pain that he felt, all on his claw. Heck, he didn't even feel pain for seven seconds, but then…oh man, it was Hell. For nineteen whole seconds, he had experienced Hell. And it was absolutely horrible.

For the rest of the time, the Crawdaunt had passed out.

* * *

The Shuckle had obviously won the battle. Everyone cheered for him. They congratulated him on his victory, and because he had defeated an evil tyrant, made him the new "official king of the moor". But then he did something interesting. Using the last of his special medical Berry Juice, he put it into a bowl-like wood piece and fed it to the unconscious Crawdaunt. What had been his painfully twisted face had now become relaxed, gentler, and more peaceful.

This act of kindness instantly told the few that were unsure of his rule now certain. This leader would help all, even the evil ones. They had been waiting for one like that. They rejoiced into celebration, grateful that their long period of hiding had ended.

Suddenly, The Crawdaunt woke up. "Ow…what did you hit me with?" He sat up, rubbed the back of his head, squinting as if he had woken from a deep sleep. He was lost in this sea of vibrant Pokémon, and was heavily disoriented.

The Shuckle waddled up to him, assisted by a Tangela. "Oh, probably best if you don't move your claw right now."

"Why not? Did you do something to it?" He stood up to his full height now, clearly aggravated. But this time, more than a hundred Pokémon then stood up against him. "How dare you?" He yelled, his cries echoing throughout the moor. "Have you forgotten your leader? Your ruler? Your king?"

"No, we haven't!" an old Whiscash hollered. "There he is, right there! He defeated you, fair and square!"

"With Power Trick," Shuckle interrupted.

"Power Tri..."Crawdaunt's voice trailed off. It would be a wonder if he could still use his arm again. He then understood the entire intensity of this situation. When Shuckle's massive defense was switched mentally with his very frail offense, he would've been the most powerful Pokémon on the planet. Literally. Crawdaunt groaned. _I could've gone straight for the kill, yet I wasted my time and possibly lost the use of my arm_ , he thought. _And now, I may possibly never fight again_.

At this moment, he started to become angry, but not at the Shuckle. At himself. He suddenly got up, and went towards the exit of the moor. From there, he said: "I need some time alone to think." And he left and they let him be.

* * *

The next morning, reports from the creatures nearby had verified that the Crawdaunt was captured by a human Trainer. The Shuckle was visibly relieved. The Crawdaunt would be healed in the red human building. He would be fine.

The moor had returned to normal, now more vibrant and active than during the tyrant's rule. This time, there would be more berries grown, to help all passing Pokémon and humans. This time, there would not need to be anymore unnecessary terror or fear. This time, there would be more celebrations, more happiness, and more emotions.

This time, it was a Shuckle, not a Crawdaunt, sitting on the tree stump, munching on a juicy Sitrus Berry that he found by a pool.


End file.
